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MLB World Series Odds: Will the Dodgers or Yankees be crowned in the Fall Classic? Plus MVP and player props
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MLB World Series Odds: Will the Dodgers or Yankees be crowned in the Fall Classic? Plus MVP and player props

Who says money can’t buy happiness?

The World Series, which begins Friday, pits the New York Yankees and the league’s most expensive active roster against the Los Angeles Dodgers and a $340 million (tax-adjusted) roster.

It’s a showdown of MLB’s most high-profile markets and a showcase for the game’s brightest stars. Ideal for both TV managers and bettors.

We break down the World Series odds, including the overall winner, MVP and top player props. Game 1 will take place in Los Angeles.

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World Series Winner Odds

Although the Yankees won their two series 3-1 and 4-1, they are still the underdogs to win it all at +110 at BetMGM.

The Dodgers, who have home-field advantage, are at -130. That could be due to the fact that almost every win for LA in October was a loss, by an average margin of six runs. Their closest wins came against the Padres in the NLDS, with a 7-5 victory in Game 1 and a 2-0 series victory in which they defeated San Diego by two goals.

However, the October Classic is expected to have legs, with the shortest odds predicting a six-game affair, at +195 for the under and -190 for a bet of over 5.5 games. If one powerhouse defeats the other, it pays +650.

World Series MVP odds

If the series goes beyond five games, Mr. October becomes Mr. November, and this year’s roster is as star-studded as ever.

Six league MVPs populate the two rosters, including two-time unanimous AL MVP Shohei Ohtani (his two trophies negate the fact that 2014 winner Clayton Kershaw is inactive in the postseason).

Ohtani is the clear favorite for World Series MVP at +220, followed by Aaron Judge at +500. Both are the favorites for the MVP award of their respective seasons.

It’s hard to bet against Ohtani, who has hit an astonishing .818 in his last 22 at-bats with runners in scoring position. That’s not a .818 hit; that’s 18 of 22 when there’s at least one runner on second base or better. As of October, that number is .667, which translates to three home runs and 10 postseason RBIs. Ohtani’s popularity coupled with voters’ tendency to reward splashy moments means he may lose the award.

But when it comes to outstanding swings, Ohtani’s most interesting challenger isn’t Judge or Juan Soto (+500) or Mookie Betts (+750). Giancarlo Stanton, a former MVP himself, was the most productive big-time seller this postseason, hitting five homers in October and four in the ALCS. Two of his postseason bombs gave the Yanks the lead, and one of them tied the game. All came in the sixth inning or later, and while they count equally, the late-game things tend to carry more weight than the early ones.

Stanton is +950 to win MVP, but it’s hard to ignore the heat he comes into the series on. All it takes is a few clutch World Series swings to make the rest of the stat line white noise.

Props for World Series players

The Dodgers will be at home in Game 1, meaning they will bat second, but Ohtani is still the favorite first player to home run at +450. He’s hitting the go-ahead run for the Dodgers, which helps, but he’s still well ahead of Juan Soto (+750), who will be the second batter of the series (Gleyber Torres bats first for New York) and is currently hitting a pennant home run has. Judge has the second best odds at +575 and Stanton is again at +950.

But Stanton is the favorite to end the postseason with that most homers at +200. He has five to Ohtani’s three, and the latter is +450 to overtake him, with Betts the closest at +475. Judge, who hit 58 home runs in the regular season, is considered an underdog. He has two homers at this point, but is at +1200 thanks to an uninspiring postseason track record. Batting an anemic .203 and hitting just .450, Judge has 15 home runs in 239 plate appearances as of October. Safe money goes elsewhere.

If offense isn’t your thing, you might be out of luck in series props as Carlos Rodón has a stranglehold on the postseason Crossed out total. His 22km is almost double that of the next closest competitor, and he’s at -2000 to maintain his lead.

Saves It’s a closer race, with New York’s Luke Weaver at -225 and LA’s Blake Treinen at +180. Only one save separates the two, but considering that when the Dodgers have won, they have won comfortably, oddsmakers see more chances for Weaver in the series.

The funniest name on the prop lists, however, is Tommy Edman, who was picked up by the Dodgers at the deadline and was expected to be a solid platoon player in the second half. He enters the World Series having won the NLCS MVP and is +200 in the postseason stolen base leader. He is also +600 for the postseason RBI chief after driving in 11 in the NLCS. His postseason total is 12, and he often serves as a mop-up player for the Dodgers, so there are plenty of options.

Mookie Betts is the only player with more RBIs still playing games in October. In a series where both teams feel like favorites, Edman is the closest thing to an underdog on the betting slip as the series begins on Friday.

(Photo by Shohei Ohtani: Elsa/Getty Images)

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